The Sister City
by Brianna Jacobs
Summary: John's sister shows up in Atlantis, and things go weird from there. A story in many parts, they are all going to be here unless feedback says other wise. Rating changed due to possibility of breaking story in half...since it ran away.
1. Aboard the Deadalus

The Sister City- A story in many parts.

Disclaimer: No I don't own them, no I don't claim them, except for Lilah and Bri, and a couple of other characters I can't mention yet because they haven't appeared and to mention them would be to spoil it all. Now on to the story.

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PART 1

The Beginning.

_ABOARD THE DEADALUS_

"Will you stop yelling at me?" he yelled.

"Why." She snapped, turning to face him she threw her arms out to the sides as she did. "What can you _possibly_ say that would make _any_ difference right now?"

"Why don't I start with 'I'm sorry' and go from there." He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"No. You know what? 'I'm sorry' is just not going to cut it this time. I've given you a second chance. I've given you a _third_ chance. Hell I even gave you a _fourth_ chance to prove yourself; but obviously you can't. That's it okay? Thank god I'm not going to have to work with you again, and don't even _think_ about coming crying to me to fix your idiotic mistakes Andy. You got that?" Without waiting for an answer the slender, petit redhead strode out of the room.

She stormed down the hall of the Deadalus, brushing past scientists and Marines alike without a second glance.

She stopped at a door just like any other in the hall. She knocked twice, then waited until a soft 'come in' was heard.

She opened the door, and stepped into the crew quarters, fighting to maintain her iron control over her emotions. She threw herself across the bed, and incidentally across the tall brunette dressed only in a sports-bra and exercise shorts already seated there.

"Bri, what's wrong?" the brunette asked, setting her book aside to rest her hands in the long red hair.

"Nothing Lil" the fair skinned beauty answered, burying her face in the tan girls exposed stomach.

"Brianna, don't give me that 'nothing' crap. I know there's something seriously wrong and so do you. You know as well as I do that you wouldn't be here if there wasn't. Not here in this bloody military space ship."

Hazel eyes bored into the pale skin on the back of her neck, and Bri shifted uncomfortably, wrapping her arms around her lover's waist.

"Andy" she murmured after a while. Lifting her green eyes to meet the glowing hazel eyes of her partner. "He fucked up _again_. I can't in good conscience even let him _step_ onto the city if he can't even do something as simple as this." She buried her face again, this time twining her legs into the other girls.

"Well what did you ask him to do?" The brunette asked softly, rubbing the red hair spread across her stomach and thighs. "Are you giving him things to do that he is even capable of?"

"I asked him to re-run the ZPM proof Lilah. With the basis I gave him you or I or god even Caldwell could run it in our sleep. Okay so maybe Caldwell would need to be awake but the point is he could do it and even if he weren't right he'd still be closer than that IDIOT with a supposed degree in physics. If _he's_ got a physics degree I've got an English degree!"

"You _do_ have an English degree dear." Lilah murmured. She'd already figured out that her friend and lover just needed some time to rant. She was just glad that Bri wasn't going to Atlantis as a scientist, or even as a military leader. Hopefully as a physician and physical therapist there would be fewer of these explosions.

"Not a PhD." Brianna countered, already beginning to doze off as she lost the momentum from her rant.

Lilah grinned. There was no way she could get Bri back to her quarters, but after that explosion that had echoed throughout the ship, well, anyone who needed to find Bri would know to find her seeking comfort and a listening ear from Lilah.

She made her decision, and nudged the redhead in the side. Slivers of emerald green peaked out from under eye-lids, and the sleepy girl murmured "Go 'way, sleepin'."

Lilah chuckled "I'm not making you leave, but you need to budge up a bit so I can lie down." With a groan the sleepy girl rolled herself onto her side. Lilah turned out the light, and slid down. Bri flopped back over, wrapping herself tightly around her taller lover. Lilah sighed, then her arms rose to wrap around Bri's back. The two drifted off to sleep, smiles on their faces.

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Author's Note: This entire story is being run without a beta, if you notice anything amiss please let me know and I will do my best to fix it. Reviews are welcome, but if you have nothing to say or are too chicken to say anything that is fine as well. Enjoy the story.


	2. On Atlantis

_ON ATLANTIS_

Crack

"Ow!"

"Sheppard this is Weir, come in."

John held up a hand, and Teyla pulled her next blow. Setting her sticks down she moved to the other side of the training room. He walked to the bench where his radio sat, and picked it up as Teyla continued her own workout on the other side of the training room.

"This is Sheppard."

"John, I need to see you in my office for a minute, are you busy?"

"Let me go shower and I'll be right there."

He signed off, then turned to Teyla. "Doctor Weir's calling, mind if we pick this up tomorrow?"

Teyla shook her head. "That will not be a problem Colonel Sheppard."

"Thanks Teyla." John headed for his quarters to change out of his sweat drenched workout clothes and take a quick shower before heading for Weir's office.

_LATER_

John walked into Elizabeth's office ten minutes later, freshly showered and still slightly damp.

"So what did you need to see me about?" he asked, standing in front of her desk.

"Take a seat John. You'll need it." Elizabeth closed the file on her desk and rested her arms across it, looking at John with a serious expression on her face. "The Deadalus is only a couple of days out with the supplies and more personnel."

"Oh god. This is about the new personnel isn't it?" John groaned and rubbed a hand through is hair, dropping into the chair in front of her desk as he did so.

"In a way." Elizabeth darkened the walls of her office.

"Oh god. How many more scientists will I need to find baby sitters for?" John was already re-arranging schedules to free up another couple of marines for baby-sitting.

"Well the top physicist onboard the Deadalus has already decided that three of the scientists are being sent home. She's not even going to let them set foot on the city. She's even refusing to let them off the Deadalus, not that I blame her based on the reports Caldwell sent ahead, but that's not why I called you in here."

"Oh really?" John raised an eyebrow. "So why _did_ you want to see me?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She was going to have to be careful how she introduced this; otherwise John would walk out on her and not really listen to the point behind the statement.

"I wanted to talk to you about two of the new personnel in particular. They're both women, and both in the USAF. Sampson is a Lieutenant Colonel with PhDs in mathematics and Political Sciences. I'd like you to put her onto one of the negotiating teams as soon as possible. I'd also prefer to have her be field tested by you personally."

"Any particular reason?" John asked, relaxing somewhat once he realized that he wasn't going to have to completely re-arrange schedules to find more marines for baby-sitting duty.

"I'd just like to get her out in the field as soon as possible, but make sure Rodney doesn't harp on her for the degree in Mathematics. I do NOT want to deal with the fall out from that."

"Yeah, I'll talk to him, make sure he behaves himself. So what about this other girl you mentioned?"

Elizabeth closed her eyes for a second, making a split second decision about how she wanted to handle this.

"The other woman is coming to join Beckett in the infirmary. She specialized in field surgery and massage therapy. She's also the head astrophysicist on the Deadalus currently." She closed her eyes as John interrupted her. Her eyes opened again in shock when he asked a question she wasn't expecting.

"Sampson, that wouldn't happen to be _Lilah_ Sampson would it?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye she couldn't place.

Elizabeth had to take a second look at the file she had been sent. She was surprised to see that John had gotten the name right.

"Yes she is, is that going to be a problem?" Elizabeth asked, suddenly concerned. She knew Johns reputation, no one on Atlantis could miss it.

John waved her question off, and his face broke into a grin. "So this other girl, she would be my sister, no?"

"Actually yes, how'd you know? And why ask about Lilah?" Elizabeth was surprised that not only had John caught on, but also that he seemed to have no problem with the idea that his higher-ranking sister would be joining him in another galaxy.

"Not that hard to figure out. After all, there can't be that many astrophysicists with medical degrees in the USAF who would be likely to get clearance to come to Pegasus. And as to Lilah, she's been my sister's body guard for years, if Bri's coming Lilah would find a way to come too." John shrugged.

"So you're going to be okay with you sister here?" Elizabeth was still slightly concerned, no matter what John said.

"Listen. If she says she's here to be a medic then that is what she'll do. She won't have anything to do with command unless I ask her to, and even then she'll only do what she's told. She may be a general but she can also separate her roles when she needs too." John leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Considering that, and since we were going to go and bring Halling and Jinto back from the mainland for that mission in a few days, I would like to request permission to leave for the Athosian settlement tomorrow, and skip the introductions, then I can talk to her on my own time and find out who she wants to be here."

Elizabeth was surprised by his diplomacy, and glad that she didn't have to find a way to ask if he would be willing to do exactly that. "Of course John. I was actually trying to find a tactful way to ask you to do exactly that."

"I figured it would be easier if I offered, rather making you try to figure out how to ask." John grinned. "I know my sister."


	3. The Next Day

_THE NEXT DAY_

"Attention, Please stand by for atmospheric entry."

Brianna glanced up when the intercom activated, but returned her gaze to the equipment she was double-checking. Lilah found her there, nervously checking the seals on the boxes for the thousandth time. "Come on love, it's time to go."

"What if my message didn't get through?" Bri whispered, her chin dropping to her chest.

"If it didn't then he'll be there waiting when we get beamed down, and everyone will know who you are. Until then we have to hope that your secret remains between you, me, your brother, Caldwell and Weir. If the message didn't get through then everyone will know the moment your brother notices you.

"You know as well as I do that there is nothing either of us can do about that now, so we may as well roll with it. If something happens then it happens, but the likely thing will be that the message got through. If it didn't we probably would have been told. So lets go and face the music. Alright?" Lilah rubbed Bri's shoulders through her entire speech, and pulled her up at the end, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug, letting Brianna hide her face in Lilahs shoulder.

_ON THE MAINLAND_

"I still don't see why we had to go do this now. I'm missing the arrival of more idiots, they're going to get _comfortable_ before I can tell them exactly how stupid they are!"

"Rodney…"

"After that they're going to be absolutely insufferable!"

"Rodney…"

"How am I supposed to be able to work with them after that?"

"RODNEY!"

"What?"

"They've been yelled at for the entire two month trip out here, don't worry."

"What?" Rodney was shocked. "I can't imagine that anyone else would have the balls to yell at scientists like they deserved to be yelled at, who is this miracle worker? When can I meet him?" He rattled off.

"First off _she_ is being beamed off the Deadalus as we speak, and secondly she is NOT going to be working for you." John almost felt sorry for Rodney as he watched the physicists face fall.

"If she's not coming here to work on science then what _is_ she coming here for?" Rodney demanded.

John winced and said "Field medicine."

"WHAT?!" John honestly thought Rodney's head might explode, which while greatly amusing would do absolutely nothing for the décor of the puddle jumper.

John paused and had to run that through his head again. _'While greatly amusing would do absolutely nothing for the décor of the puddle jumper'_ he shook his head at himself. 'Could you be any more gay John? This why you joined the Air Force remember? So no one would ever figure out which way you lean?' John realized where his train of thought was going and shook his head. 'Focus colonel, focus; don't think about that when the guy you like is sitting right next to you, that cannot end well.'

He tuned back in to Rodney in time to hear him say "…stupid voodoo medicine over legitimate science."

He decided that now would be a good time to tell him about Lilah too, since he was already on the verge of apoplexy, he'd either become speechless from rage, which would make the trip back quieter; or he would pass out from lack of oxygen, which would have the same affect.

"Oh Rodney, about the new personnel…"


	4. In the City

_IN THE CITY_

Whoosh

"Welcome to Atlantis." Elizabeth looked over the seven new members of the expedition who had been beamed down, trying to locate John's sister. Her eye lit upon two figures to the left of the others, standing side by side. The redhead was tense as she scanned the steps holding the welcoming committee, but she relaxed and turned to whisper to the brunette standing next to her. Elizabeth sighed. She could only hope that those two were committed to _someone_ because if they weren't then there would be fights among the marines, and possibly the scientists as well, over them.

A slightly chubby, sandy haired woman stepped forward, and turned blue eyes to Elizabeth. "Thank you for the warm welcome Doctor Weir, we are all glad to finally be here."

"It's our pleasure. These men will direct you to your new quarters, and will act as your guides for today. We will have a briefing later today, so I'll meet you all then. And once again welcome." She turned and walked back up to the control tower, where she was signaled that Colonel Sheppard and Rodney were returning.

"Make sure that they come directly here," she instructed, turning to head to her office. "And send a couple of marines to make sure Rodney gets here in one piece please." She added.

The airman nodded, and sent out the orders, only then did he give the puddle jumper clearance to land.

_IN THE 'JUMPER BAY_

"What is the meaning of this?" Halling asked, sounding outraged at the marines standing by the 'jumper ramp when it opened.

"Good question," John answered. "Marine?"

"Sir, we have orders to escort you and Doctor McKay directly to Doctor Weirs office. Halling and Jinto may come if they like, but no one is in trouble." One of the marines answered.

John immediately figured out what Elizabeth was up to. She was trying to protect his sister as long as she could. "Of course. Let's go McKay."

"But I have to…"

"You don't have to do anything. Let's go."

"But the lab…"

"The city's still floating so any explosions can't have been too bad. Let's go."

"But the new scientists…"

"Will still be there after Elizabeth's done with us." John grabbed Rodney's arm and began to drag him out of the bay toward the control tower offices.

"But they can't…"

"I have baby-sitters with them so they won't be near any of the labs, unless you're responsible for those culinary experiments turning up on our plates in the mess halls recently." John turned a corner, and pulled Rodney down a flight of stairs.

"Why would I have anything to do with that stuff they call food? And I really need to go! I need to try and talk sense into that scientist who says she's only here for voodoo medicine, she'll be wasted!"

The marines followed behind, hiding smiles at the loud protests.

Rodney continued to argue even as he was dragged into Weir's office.


	5. John's Quarters

_JOHN'S QUARTERS, SEVERAL HOURS LATER_

"Thought you'd never get here." John jumped, he supposed he should have been expecting her to be here, but the long briefing with Elizabeth had managed to drive that thought right out of his brain.

He thought the lights on as he strode across the room towards the chair where Bri had been sitting, but now stood. Without looking he threw his BDU jacket on the bed as he passed, then pulled his sister into a tight hug the second he was close enough.

Bri's arms closed around him at almost the same time, and for a few minutes they said nothing, just stood and held each other, taking comfort in the simple contact.

"I missed you little sister," John finally murmured, turning to kiss the top of her head.

"I missed you too big brother," she responded. Then she pulled away to rub her eyes on her sleeve. "Sorry for falling apart, I guess I missed you more than I realized. Lilah's a help, but she can't replace you."

John didn't say anything, just pulled her back to him, and sank down so they were sitting side by side on the bed. It was a little awkward, but neither cared. By now they both had tears running down their faces, but neither could bring themselves to care.

It took about half an hour before the reunited siblings were able to calm down enough to speak coherently.

"So what made you decide to come here to Atlantis?" John asked, handing his sister a wet towel to rub her face off with, since tears stained her face.

"Actually it was because of Lilah." She began, "I already had enough clearance that I _could_ know about the Stargate program, but I hadn't been told. When Lilah told me where she was going, I pulled a few strings and came along. Someone heard you needed more field medics, so that's who I am here."

"Really?" John grinned and stood, taking the wet towel and tossing it towards the bathroom, handing her a dry one in return. "So who's got your cats?"

Brianna threw a pillow at him, but responded "One of the nurses from the SGC, I think she's the one taking care of most of Atlantis' pets."

John sighed and sat down next to her again. "I ask this in all seriousness Bri, and I think you know exactly how important this is going to be in regards to my behavior."

"You want to know who I want to be while I'm here." Bri held the towel in both hands, gazing at it.

"Yeah"

"Well as of now the only people who know who I really am are you, Lilah, Doctor Weir and Caldwell. Unless people ask I'm just the field surgeon and physical therapist. Unless people ask I'm not going to tell them, but if they do ask, I won't lie. I'll tell them the answer to exactly what they ask. Nothing more, and nothing less."

John nodded, "Alright, do you want me to do that too? Or do you want me to just send people with questions to you?"

"Unless it's something you don't know the answer to or can't answer, or simply don't _want_ to answer. In that case send them to me."

John sighed again, and looked sideways at his sister. "One more thing," Bri raised her eyebrow, and simply looked at him. He returned his gaze to the floor, and continued. "I kind of already told Rodney some of this whole thing. If you agree I'd like to tell him the truth. I think he needs to know."

"I think I'd like to meet him first, I want to know who I'm telling my identity to before I agree. Is there anyway you can get him in to see me soon after I get settled in?"

John thought for a second, then grinned. Brianna sighed, "I know that look, that means either someone is not going to like this plan, or something big is going to go boom. Considering the previous discussion I may have to say that both are equally likely, and quite possibly simultaneous."

"Oh don't worry so much, I'm just thinking about possible bribes." John remarked casually.

"Bribes? You're going to bribe him to come see me?" Brianna asked incredulously.

"No, I'm going to bribe Carson to order him to come see you. He has a bad back, but unless he's ordered to, he won't come" John laughed.

Bri chuckled and shook her head. "You haven't changed at all have you John?"

He grinned back at her and laughed "Comforting isn't it?"

She slapped him on the shoulder, and they moved on to less serious subjects.


	6. A Week Later

_A WEEK LATER_

"It's Sheppard's team Doctor Weir."

"Lower the shield"

The five-person team tumbled through the event horizon, weapons pointing backwards. As soon as they were through John yelled, "Raise the shield!" As soon as it was up he collapsed backwards, his arms falling out to the sides.

Lilah rolled over and crawled to John's side. "MEDIC!!" She yelled, pressing her hands to John's left side as Rodney rolled over onto his side and started coughing.

Brianna had been meeting with Doctor Weir. Since John's team had been overdue they had both rushed out to the control room.

When Lilah called for a medic, Bri's face had turned white, but then she had bolted down the stairs, heading towards her lover and her brother.

After five minutes of complete and utter chaos, John was on a stretcher, Rodney was being lead to the infirmary with an oxygen mask on, Teyla and Ronon were dragged after him to be checked out. As soon as Carson had the team dragged off, he grabbed Lilah and Bri and carried them off as well, telling them to keep their bloody hands out and to NOT touch anything under any circumstances.

Elizabeth entered the infirmary, and once again found herself in the midst of complete and utter chaos. She swayed dizzily for a second, feeling like she was going to be sucked into the madness with no way out. She jumped as a hand on her shoulder helped her anchor herself. She turned and found Lilah standing beside her, gloves on her hands, and a mask covering her nose and mouth.

Lilah didn't give Elizabeth time to ask questions. She simply grabbed her shoulder, and towed her to a decontamination shower. Lilah shoved the woman inside, and shut the door. The rubber suited nurse already inside helped Elizabeth out of her clothing, and proceeded to give her a scrubbing more thorough and harsher than anything else she'd ever had.

When the nurses were satisfied, she was let out, where Lilah helped her into mask, gloves and gown. Only then did Elizabeth get around to asking questions. Since Carson was nowhere to be found, she asked Lilah.

"What's going on here?" She asked, severely concerned about the speed with which she had been hustled into the decontamination shower.

"We ran into a few…issues on the planet ma'am." Lilah seemed rather reluctant to expound on what exactly those issues were.

"Oh, what kind of issues exactly?" She knew that she would have to force them to tell eventually, but having some idea of what she was getting into would be a good thing.

Lilah winced. Elizabeth sighed "This is going to be one of those briefings I would rather NOT hear isn't it?"

"I suppose you could say that, or you could say that this was one of those times you warned me about. Those times when it would be simpler to shoot Sheppard and McKay as soon as the word 'ritual' was mentioned and then make a run for it. Frankly it probably would have gone better if I _had_ done that." Lilah winced again as one of the nurses beckoned to her. "Time to go get stabbed and prodded." She saluted, and then she followed the nurse to the exam table.

"Lilah wait, where's Bri and Colonel Sheppard?" Elizabeth called out.

Lilah turned and walked backwards. "In surgery." She pointed to the appropriate room, then turned back to face the nurse and continued onward.

Elizabeth sighed, and headed for the observation room. When she got there she was startled to see Carson already standing there, giving instructions over a headset to Brianna who was already covered in blood and wrist deep in John's intestines.

"Doctor Beckett, what's going on?" she asked.

"It's some kind of toxin, we're still not sure if it's transmittable, but we're not taking any chances. Which is why Brianna's doing the surgery. She already had his blood on her and if this thing can be transmitted through contact with the skin, well, it was just safer in the long run." He picked up the headset and continued to give instructions.

Brianna eventually sighed, and rested her hands on the edge of John's bed, her head dropped as she took several deep breaths, then her voice filtered up through the speakers to the observation room.

"I got it out and closed the artery, but he lost a lot of blood, whether he makes it or not is all up to him now." She staggered over to a chair in the corner of the isolation room, and collapsed into it.

"Carson, got what out and is she okay?" Elizabeth was still worried, for all of the team, but mostly for the siblings still in the room below her.

"A knife made of some kind of bamboo like substance, and aye, she's just a wee bit exhausted. Surgery is stressful enough without having to operate on your own sibling." He glanced at Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye, watching her reaction to the revelation.

"How did you know?" Elizabeth wasn't really surprised that Carson knew, she just wanted to be sure that he knew to keep it quiet.

"She told me. Bit of a surprise that, wasn't really aware that John had a sister, much less that she was coming to Atlantis." Carson shrugged, "But since she asked me to keep it a secret, I had to have her do this operation. There was no way for me to assign someone else without raising suspicion."

"I'll talk to her, see if there's anyway we can reveal at least some of who she is, I don't want her to have to go through that again."


	7. Two Days Later

_TWO DAYS LATER_

The entire team as well as Brianna were still confined to the infirmary for the moment. They still weren't sure if the toxin was in all their systems, so they were all in for observation.

"How is he lass?" Carson asked Brianna, stopping to check on her vigil by her brother's bedside during his nightly rounds.

"Still the same, he's dreaming now, but he hasn't woken up." Brianna sighed, "I honestly don't know if he's going to make it through this." She rubbed at her eye, and Carson saw a glimmer of tears on her cheeks.

"He'll pull through, he's too much of a fighter to give up now." Carson rested a hand on her shoulder, and Brianna leaned sideways, resting her head against his side. "He'll make it."

On the other side of the infirmary Rodney growled. He'd been pacing for the past hour, not sure who he was more worried for, John or Brianna. He knew that he didn't have a chance with either of them; after all they were together weren't they? But that didn't stop him from caring. Or worrying for that matter. It still hurt to see Carson doing what he wanted to do, to see John touch her, and not get brushed off as many were.

He hadn't realized that he had spoken aloud until Lilah answered from the bed next to him. "It does hurt, but it may help you to know that there's nothing between them."

Rodney looked over at the brunette sitting and flipping through a magazine she had found on one of the infirmary tables. "What?"

"You heard me, unless you're deaf, but you seem to hear everyone else just fine, so I'll assume that you just didn't believe me." Lilah set the magazine down, and sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the cot. "Let me make this as clear as I can make it. John and Brianna are not a couple and never have been. Nor is there any faint possibility that they will become one anytime in the future. Is that clear enough?"

"I think so." Rodney seemed to be in a slight daze.

"Good," Lilah lay back down and picked up her magazine again; opening it with incredible accuracy to the page she had been on previously.

"So what is it with them then?" He asked, turning to face her, watching her intently.

"I suggest you ask Bri, since she'd kill me if I just told you," she cocked her head to the side as she considered the bed where John rested, and the chair beside it where Brianna sat vigil. "Actually they'd _both_ kill me, so why don't you just ask her."

Rodney turned and looked at the pair. "I think I will." He began the walk across the infirmary.

Lilah leaned sideways to glance around him, she saw Brianna's lips moving as she spoke to John, she knew her lover was trying to talk her brother back into the land of the living, but she also knew that the conversation they were having was NOT one Bri would want Rodney to hear, not before she told him anyway. Lilah settled down on the bed again, and began to whistle loudly.

Bri's head snapped around when she heard the first strains of "Into the Wild Blue Yonder". She was about the snap at Lilah, but then she saw Rodney heading her way, so she settled for warning her lover with a gentle "Lil…"

"Sorry" was the reply, before the brunette continued her ruse by humming softly to herself.

Rodney stopped at the foot of the bed, and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Bri…" he began before losing his nerve and bolting.

Lilah watched him flee into the bathroom, then rose and went to her lover. She stepped behind the redhead and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Bri's shoulders. Bri leaned her head against Lilahs before asking, "What was that about?"

"The rumor mills have been working overtime, apparently you and John are a couple, oh and according to them Carson and I are together."

Brianna leaned back against her lover and reached up to take one of her hands in her own. She tilted her head back so she could look her lover in her face. Lilah saw Rodney emerge from the bathroom and look over in confusion and shock. Bri saw as well, and murmured softly "Sorry for making this come out this way," before reaching up to cup the back of Lilah's neck. She pulled the brunette down for a deep kiss before releasing her.

Lilah caressed the side of Bri's face and whispered, "You're going to pay for that." Before heading back to her bed.

Bri caught her hand as she turned away, "Is that a promise?" She grinned.

Lilah looked at her and grinned back, "What do you think?"

Rodney watched the exchange, and then grinned as Lilah's words suddenly made sense. He walked back over to John's bed, then he took a seat in the chair next to Bri.

"So I take it the rumor mills are wrong then?" He asked with a grin.

Brianna sighed, "Rumor mills are nothing more than that, they produce rumors, which are not always right, contrary to popular opinion."

Rodney shifted in his seat, then suddenly turned to face the girl sitting next to him. "So tell me the truth, what is your relationship to John?"

Brianna glanced at him, and said, "He's my older brother." She rose and walked over to Lilah, sitting down beside her, and letting her wrap her arm around her.

Rodney sat beside John's bed stunned. Whatever he had been expecting it had NOT been that.


	8. A Week Later, Again

_A WEEK LATER_

Elizabeth sat in her office, facing Brianna and Lilah. Lilah had been detailed to make sure Brianna didn't do anything too stupid by Carson, who had let them out of the infirmary this morning, Brianna's wrist in a cast from an accident Elizabeth didn't want to know the details about.

"So tell me the truth Brianna, is Colonel Sheppard ever likely to wake up again?" She was not looking forward to the answer, but once again the girls surprised her and gave her hope.

"Well to tell the truth Doctor Weir, there's nothing physically wrong with him anymore. He's perfectly fine, when you ignore the fact that he's still asleep." Brianna glanced sideways at her bodyguard before continuing.

"Doctor Beckett and I discovered that the toxin Colonel Sheppard's team came into contact with neutralizes everything we have been using as pain medication. What that means is that Sheppard could feel everything that happened during his surgery, and he could still feel pain when he was recovering. We believe that he…retreated, in his mind, like placing himself in a deep state of meditation, but he doesn't know that it's okay to come out now."

"So how do we get him out?" Elizabeth interjected.

"Once I may have been able to talk him out of it, but not now." Brianna sighed regretfully. "The only person who can talk him out of this is someone he trusts completely, and someone who loves him more than life itself."

"So we're screwed then." Elizabeth's hope was nearly gone, but was reborn again when Lilah and Brianna exchanged a long look.

"Maybe not," Lilah said.

"We might have another solution." Brianna looked back at Elizabeth.

"I thought you said you couldn't get him out of it?" Elizabeth was still confused.

"I can't," Brianna seemed surprised that Elizabeth still thought she was the answer. "I don't love him enough." She added.

"What?" Elizabeth was surprised. "But you're his sister, if you don't love enough than who can?"

"I can't love him enough for this because I found someone else." Brianna looked at the floor, not making eye contact with either of the two women in the room.

"Really?" Elizabeth wasn't really surprised for some reason.

"Yeah, just out of curiosity, how strictly do you guys follow 'DADT'?" Brianna seemed slightly uneasy. "I ask because we might need you to look the other way when we try to get John out of this."

"Well considering that we only see representatives from Earth every four months or so and we're in the process of severing all our political ties to Earth, we're pretty lax." Elizabeth glanced away from Bri, and saw that Lilah was gazing at her clasped hands resting on the desk.

Brianna looked over at Lilah and rested a hand on top of Lilah's clasped hands. Lilah twisted one of her hands over to grasp Brianna's hand tightly. She turned her head to look at the redhead sitting next to her and smiled.

"It'll work Bri, trust me on this, I know what I saw, and with guidance, he'll get John back to us." The two girls remained motionless for almost a full minute. Elizabeth was floored by the depth of love and devotion shining from every fiber of their being. She had never expected that those two would be devoted to each other, but this was obviously not a new development. The level of trust that these two placed in each other could not be built in the few weeks they'd been here. This was the result of years of partnership.

The love faded from their eyes, not disappearing, but being reined in, hidden away for the sake of Elizabeth and everyone in the city.

"If you'll excuse me I need to go track down a few people for this to work." Brianna rose and with a slight touch on Lilah's shoulder headed out of the office and into the city.

Lilah watched her go, then she turned to Doctor Weir, "I trust that this isn't going to be a problem?" She asked.

"Ah, no, it won't be. I'll authorize you to take whatever personnel and supplies you need to make this happen." Elizabeth was still a little shaken by the revelation.

"Including a 'jumper?" Lilah asked.

"Will you have someone who can fly it?" Elizabeth asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes."

"In that case go ahead. Bring John back safe, and hopefully well."

"We will." Lilah turned and walked out of the office. Elizabeth locked the door after her, needing a minute to collect herself.


	9. Ten Minutes Later in the Labs

_TEN MINUTES LATER IN THE LABS_

"Come on Rodney, we need you if we're going to get John back. We need to get him out of here and _you_ refuse to let me try to fly, therefore we need you." Brianna had been arguing with Rodney for the past ten minutes, she was trusting Lilah to get everything else they would need, including John, into the 'jumper. If necessary she would knock Rodney out and fly them out of there herself.

"I don't let you fly because we don't know if you have the gene or not, since you won't let me test you; besides I can't go until I figure out what this does." He waved a small device around in front of her face.

Brianna sighed and focused on the small thing in his hand. "It's a map maker." She snapped. Now you know what it does, can we go?"

"It's a _what_?" Rodney was shocked speechless.

"A map maker. You turn it on, and leave it on as you travel to your destination, and then you turn it off. You can tell it to bring you back to your starting place, or you can use it to find the path someone else took. You happy now? Can we please get out of here before it gets dark?"

"How the hell do you know that?" Rodney looked at her suspiciously.

Brianna rolled her eyes, "Apparently John never told you that the ancient gene can be used to identify function as well as use the things. Now are you going to come and help me get him back so you can yell at him or not?"

Rodney gaped at her. "No I'm not coming, I need to figure out how to make that work now."

Brianna rolled her eyes again, and that was the last thing Rodney knew for a while.

_IN THE 'JUMPER, AN UNDETERMINED TIME LATER_

The next thing Rodney registered was a shooting pain in his head.

Immediately after that he heard Lilah's voice. "Are you _sure_ you didn't hit him too hard? Shouldn't he be awake by now."

"He'll be fine. Now tell me where I should be going again?"

The 'jumper jolted, and Rodney groaned, raising a hand to his aching head.

"See? He's fine." Brianna sounded almost gleeful about that.

"Evil incarnate," Rodney muttered, trying to keep his head still, and still glare at the slender woman flying the 'jumper. He caught a glimpse of John, still unconscious, stretched out on the bench on the other side of the puddle jumper.

"Shut up Rodney."

The bulkhead door closed, and over the headset he heard, "Try out that gene thing now, you should be able to open the bulkhead door from in there, and don't bother trying the actual trigger, I've disabled it." Then the lights went out. "And you should be able to turn those on as well. Enjoy yourself Rodney."

The headset went silent, and the two girls ignored every attempt to communicate with them. Rodney pounded on the door and yelled "You two better not be making out in there!!" A low throaty chuckle was the only response.

Lilah chuckled at Rodney's last comment. "He seems to be taking this whole thing rather well."

"Well he doesn't know that we're not even on Atlantis anymore. He might be less happy once he finds out that we've jumped planet." Brianna winced again, "I might want to warn him about that."

"You probably should, just so he doesn't open the back door, but that wasn't what I was talking about."

Brianna just looked at her friend and lover sitting relaxed in the co-pilots seat, then delivered her warning. She glanced at the control consol again; screens appeared, then disappeared in rapid succession over the windshield, before something flashed on one of them, and the screens vanished.

"There, we're on auto pilot, what did you mean?" She turned sideways in her seat so she was facing her lover, pulling her legs up so her knees touched her chest and her feet rested on the edge on the chair.

Lilah turned and slung her feet up to rest on the console, crossing her arms and tucking her fingers into her armpits to keep them warm.

"I was talking about the whole 'you and me as a couple' thing." Lilah sighed and glanced forward again. "He seems remarkably unfazed by it all."

"He's handling the whole 'John as my brother' thing well too, I'm frankly surprised. I didn't think he'd take it all this well." Bri continued to watch her lover.

Lilah glanced over in surprise, "You told him about that?"

"He asked, you remember what my conditions were for telling anyone, he asked 'what is your relationship to John?' so I told him the truth." Brianna bowed her head, twisting her fingers together.

"I think you did the right thing. He may be an arrogant bastard but he will be able to deal with this, and he'll do the right thing." Lilah heard a hum, and asked, "What was that?"

Brianna looked at the console and shrugged. "He got the lights on, he's working on the door. That'll take him a bit longer."

Lilah sighed, "That was fast."

Bri grinned evilly, "But Lil, he's not going to be able to get the door open. The 'jumper likes me and says it won't open the thing unless I tell it too."

Lilah grinned back, "I just hope we get there soon, otherwise Rodney's going to start sweet talking the 'jumper, and then we'll be in trouble."

"Oh we will?" Brianna raised an eyebrow.

Lilah's grin widened, "Yes we will…" she tackled the redhead onto the bed that extended from the wall at her command.


	10. In the Back of the 'Jumper

_IN THE BACK OF THE 'JUMPER_

Rodney grumbled and was about to start trying to open the doors when his headset clicked again.

"What, have you decided to let me out now?" He snapped.

"No, just warning you not to open the back door, we jumped planet so be careful." Bri sounded almost amused. Then the headset went dead again.

"Stupid arrogant little…" Rodney muttered, then sighed. This wasn't helping him at all.

He sat down on the floor and closed his eyes. Even with no light in the 'jumper it was still less claustrophobic with his eyes closed.

He muttered to himself under his breath for a minute or two until he realized that that wasn't getting him anywhere either, and he was currently no closer to getting out of here than he had been when the girls locked him in here.

"Okay," for some reason talking to himself had always helped Rodney work through problems. He wasn't quite sure why, but it seemed to clarify the situation. "So, I'm locked in the back of a 'jumper, somewhere in space, apparently kidnapped, with no lights and who knows what by way of worthless equipment. Yeah, I'll be out of here in no time." Rodney dropped his chin to his chest with a sigh, and leaned back against the wall of the 'jumper.

As he relaxed he realized that the humming he was hearing _wasn't_ coming from the headset or the intercom system in the 'jumper, the humming was the 'jumper itself. He started to panic before he realized that he couldn't actually hear the humming. "What the hell?" He frowned, then his eyes snapped open in astonishment. The 'jumper was humming to itself inside his head.

An amused chuckle greeted this thought, along with a sensation that he could only describe as 'What took you so long?'

Rodney decided to test that theory and thought at the 'jumper, "If you can hear me will you please turn the lights on?"

The lights flicked on as an amused sensation returned bearing the feeling of 'Are you starting to understand?'

"Understand what?" Rodney asked out loud.

'What the other three I carry hear day and night when they are home.' The word 'home' was accompanied by am image of Atlantis.

"Understand…" Rodney hesitated, still not sure what the 'jumper was asking him.

'Rodney,' there was a feeling of hesitation, as if the 'jumper was making up it's mind about something, 'do you trust me?'

"Trust you? Of course, why wouldn't I?" He responded, still not sure what was going on.

'Then look and see.' With that the presence that was the 'jumper in Rodney's mind reached out, and swept him away.


	11. Six Days Later

_SIX DAYS LATER, ON THE SURFACE OF AN UNNAMED PLANET_

"So Bri, what exactly did you tell Atlantis to do?" Lilah poked her stick into the fire, stirring up embers that swirled away on the gentle breeze.

The two girls sat next to the 'jumper, leaning against its side. Bri had talked the jumper into showing them the emergency exit from the cockpit, it hadn't been comfortable, but they had gotten out and it would be amusing to watch Rodney's reaction when he discovered that the 'jumpers had been keeping secrets like that from everyone.

"I didn't tell her to do anything, I _asked_ if she would be willing to show Rodney what she showed us when we first linked with her." Brianna stared into the fire broodingly for a minute, ignoring Lilah's shocked look.

"You asked her to do _that_?" Lilah was deeply shocked. She knew that Atlantis had placed a great amount of trust when she showed the pair what she had. Atlantis had, in effect, bared her soul and allowed them to see her deepest fears, and desires, for Atlantis was truly alive.

"Lil, she would have done this a long time ago, except she didn't like Rodney because he distracted John. I had to explain to her that Rodney didn't know what he was doing, and that he couldn't control it. She understands now, and she's forgiven him." Brianna leaned her head back against the side of the ship and smiled slightly. "Hey, I think they're almost done."

Lilah watched as her lover rose to her feet and walked to the back of the puddle jumper, resting a hand lightly on its side in a gentle caress that opened the rear hatch. She knew why they were doing this, and why Brianna had chosen this way, but it still seemed like Bri had parts of a plan that she was keeping to herself. Even after years of partnership she still didn't understand her lover's need for secrecy upon occasion. But that was part of who Bri was, and she really wouldn't change it even if she could.

Rodney blinked his eyes, at some point he had ended up flat on his back on the floor of the 'jumper, but the most disturbing thing about waking up like that was seeing Brianna leaning over him, upside down and tilted slightly to the left.

"Ow." His voice felt rough and scratchy, as though it had gone without use for a long time.

"Welcome back to the world of the living Rodney." Brianna's voice was wry, and she seemed amused at his predicament.

'Why shouldn't she be?' the 'jumper whispered in his mind.

Rodney waved an accusing finger skyward, "I do NOT want to hear it right now, and why did you have to knock me out anyway?"

'I did nothing, you passed out due to an extreme influx of information your conscious mind could not handle.'

Lilah snorted and mumbled, "Passed out from information overload my ass. He fainted."

Rodney glared at her. "I did not faint. And why am I still hearing Atlantis?"

Brianna grinned at the exchange, "You're hearing what John, Lil and I have heard every day since we arrived. She likes to correct us, but we can't really object, since she's saved my life at least three or four times since I've been here."

'You know very well that it's six.' The 'jumper's voice was mock angry in a very amused fashion, as though Bri and Atlantis had had this conversation before.

Lilah confirmed Rodney's suspicion when she rolled here eyes and muttered "Not again," before grabbing Rodney by the arm and hauling him to his feet. "They'll be at this for hours, come outside and we'll see if the water's ready for tea."

Once outside Rodney lay down on his back by the fire, staring up at the stars revolving slowly through the heavens.

Later, when the fire was burnt down to embers, and Brianna was dozing beside Lilah, Rodney asked out loud "Why me?"

Lilah looked up startled, "Was that a rhetorical question or are you looking for an answer to some specific situation?"

Rodney glanced at her, "Well I was talking specifically about why you dragged me to the ass end of the galaxy, but if you have the answers to more general situations I'll be glad to have those too."

Lilah sighed. She knew that she and Brianna now saw a side of Rodney that no one else had seen, possibly because they had proven that they trusted him with their secrets, but this seemed like a deeper question than she had ever heard him ask before.

She suddenly understood why Bri had asked Atlantis to trust this snarky, ill-tempered scientist like they did. The encounter had changed him subtly. She could tell already that the change would hide when Rodney put his mask back on, but underneath he would understand, really understand, why Atlantis meant so much to them, and why John was so willing to risk everything for her. Rodney was going to be able to commit, now that he understood why John took such risks. The hard part was going to be convincing John of that.

Lilah stirred up the fire to buy some time as she put together her answer. "Trust." She knew the cryptic answer would not be enough to satisfy him, but it was a starting point, and it was part of the truth.

Rodney blinked; he'd expected something a little more…well longer. "What?"

'Oh elegant reply,' Atlantis commented. Rodney ignored her.

"It all comes down to trust really. John has, hidden himself away from the pain, but he doesn't know that the pain is gone. Someone needs to talk him out of where ever he went. John really doesn't know me, not to the point where his subconscious trusts me explicitly. Brianna is his sister, but she was the one who performed the surgery, we think John, or rather John's sub-consciousness doesn't trust her enough to let him out. It knows that she was the one who inflicted further hurt, and even if he knows in his mind that this was one of those times when a greater hurt was needed to take away the pain, his heart doesn't believe that. However he trusts you, more than you realize, and he does listen to you. I know it seems like he doesn't, but he pays attention, and tries to understand the things you tell him, even though he wears a mask as you do."

Rodney lay still, absorbing what Lilah had told him, then he focused on the more immediate problem. "So how am I supposed to talk him out of this thing then? I have no clue how to even start!"

Lilah chuckled, "That's why we're here Rodney, we'll talk you through it and help you as much as we can. You won't be going into this alone."

"That's a relief."

"We'll start in the morning. Now get some rest Rodney, nights are short here."


	12. Far Too Early in the Morning

_FAR TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING_

Rodney awoke with something poking repeatedly into his side just below his ribcage. Without truly waking up he swatted at it. Whatever it was that was poking him only paused for a few seconds, but then it resumed with greater force.

"Cut it out!" Rodney groaned, then pulled his pillow over his head.

The blankets were then ripped rudely from his grasp and flung out of reach.

Rodney sat up and glared at the insufferably cheerful Lilah. "You are absolutely insane woman." He stated as he dragged himself over to the fire where Bri sat with her hands wrapped tightly around a mug.

"Get used to it," she advised as she held out a similar mug.

Rodney blinked as the aroma of coffee, the real stuff, the _really good_ stuff, drifted to his nose. He took the mug in a daze. He had thought all the real coffee had been used up weeks ago.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, taking a sip, and savoring the flavor of real, Latin-American coffee.

"I brought it in a sealed container marked 'Experimental Drugs, Do Not Touch.' It was one of the really big packing crates and I've been sharing it with Carson and Lilah, John asked for some for you, but for some reason I never got around to giving it to him. I think he wanted a bargaining chip." Bri pulled her cup to her chest and let her head drop so her nose was almost in the chipped, blue Air Force mug.

"That's another thing I get to yell at him for once we get him out of this." Rodney took a long sip, and hummed with pleasure as the slightly bitter, VERY strong coffee slid down his throat. He opened his eyes and saw Bri looking at him suspiciously. "What?"

She snorted and murmured "Like that huh?"

He blushed, something he hadn't done in a very long time, and responded "Well I used up my supply already, I haven't had real coffee since then, just that instant stuff and the liquid gasoline they serve in the mess."

Brianna winced, "I take it back, you are entitled to enjoy coffee far more than any one person should be able too." She set her empty mug beside the fire and stood to join Lilah in the jumper.

Rodney looked at her as she retreated and muttered to himself again. "I honestly can't tell if she's joking or not."

_ONCE IT'S NOT QUITE SO EARLY IN THE MORNING_

"Well Rodney, are you ready?" Brianna watched as Rodney paled slightly at her words.

"As ready as I'll ever be I guess, and if this doesn't work this time we can always try again right?"

"If we need to." Brianna nodded and Rodney re-gained a little color. She could tell that he was relieved that this would not be his only shot at this. The simple confidence he gained from believing he would have a second chance if he failed made her believe that there would be no need for a second chance.

She watched as Rodney visibly gathered himself, then she sighed slightly in relief when he said, "Alright, lets get started."

Brianna motioned Rodney to take a seat by the fire beside the sleeping bag where the two girls had moved John too.

He settled himself and asked "Okay, now what."

Brianna took a similar seat on the other side of John, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knees after she sank gracefully to the ground.

"What you need to do is to meditate, but while you're meditating, you need to focus on calling John back. You don't need to use your voice; he'll hear you in his mind thanks to Atlantis' help."

"She'll help us?" Rodney was surprised, the contact he had had with the city had given him the impression that the city was much like the ascended ancients, giving nudges and clues but unwilling to step out and help.

"She's aware now. And she likes John, and Lilah and I begged. So yes, she'll help."

"You had to beg?"

"Well, technically I begged her to relax about you, she just didn't want to help when not everyone knew her as deeply as John, Lilah and I." Brianna shrugged as though it had all been no big deal, "So I convinced her to trust you, and she thanked me for that." Brianna stared moodily at her boots for a second before shaking her head, "Well enough of that, let's get this idiot home shall we?"

Rodney nodded, but stored the information away to think about later.


	13. Four HoursFive Days Later

_FOUR HOURS LATER_

"It's no use, I can't get through to him!" Rodney felt like he had been trying for days, but even with Atlantis's help, he couldn't quite reach John, he felt like he was stretching himself over a vast gulf of nearly infinite size, and almost reaching that spark that was John, but at the last second he was pulled back. It was really quite frustrating.

"Rodney, you have to relax, you're still trying to hard." This time it was Lilah's voice that answered him, not Brianna's.

"Alright, I'll try." Rodney sank back into his trance.

_FIVE DAYS AFTER SINKING INTO A TRANCE_

Rodney was no longer sure how long he had been in his trance. It could have been minutes, or days. He had no real sense of time, but he could hear Lilah and Bri moving around him. When food was placed in his hands, he ate, when a canteen of water was set beside him, he drank. Noise, light and motion came and went in waves. He could sense John nearby, but every time he got close to the tiny spark in the endless sea of darkness, Atlantis pulled him back.

When she pulled him back yet again he was furious, 'I almost had him!' he thought angrily at the distant city. 'You have to let me go deeper.' He only sensed regret and sorrow from the city as he dove back down. As he was snapped back again he heard Lilah speaking.

"…says he thinks he needs to go deeper. She says she can't hold him if he goes any further than he's going now. Bri, I think John's just too far away for us to reach." Lilah seemed to be pleading with Bri, but Rodney didn't care why. He just wanted to try again. As he gathered himself for another plunge, he felt a whisper of air as someone knelt in front of him.

Two fingers touched him between his eyebrows; startled he focused on the touch. Brianna removed her fingers and spoke again, this time directly to Rodney.

"Rodney, John's too far away, you won't be able to reach him like this, I need you to try something different."

Distantly Rodney felt his body nod, it was almost as if he was no longer connected to it.

"Rodney, I'll need you to go deep again, but just to the edge of where you have been going. Once you're there I'll need you to focus all your energy on calling out to John, you need to give him a reason to move closer. You may need to tell him the truth about how you feel for him, can you do that?"

Once again Rodney nodded, he would do anything to get John back, even if it meant losing his friendship. He sighed, and let himself sink. He had been to this place many times since he sank into this trance, enough times that he could almost see his footprints from his previous trips.

He stopped descending; he could feel Atlantis at his back, anchoring him; a strong force he could use to get home. He could see the spark that was John, as always it was just out of his reach.

"John," Rodney whispered, watching as the spark flickered slightly in recognition. "John, can you hear me?" he whispered.

The spark flickered. It took Rodney a moment to place the pattern of flickers. Morse Code. --Yes.--

"John I need you to come closer."

--Hurts-- John replied.

"Do you still feel it?" Rodney asked.

--No, but I know it's there-- John flickered. --I'm here so I don't have to feel it.--

"The pain is gone John." Rodney whispered back.

--How can you know?--

"Because it's been a long time," Rodney whispered, "The wounds have healed."

John remained silent and didn't move.

"John, come back, Atlantis needs you, we need you, _I_ need you."

--Why?--

Rodney bowed his head, and hesitated.

--Why Rodney?--

Rodney still didn't answer.

--Why do you need _me_ Rodney?--

"Because I love you John. I need you to come back, for me." Rodney felt Atlantis pulling him back again, this time he didn't care. He would be off the team, and John would never speak to him again. Lilah and Bri would have to find someone else to bring John back, and Rodney would transfer back to Earth.

Rodney felt arms come around him, and his head was pulled down to rest on a shoulder.

Rodney hadn't realized he was crying until John spoke.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?"


	14. Across the Fire

_ACROSS THE FIRE_

Brianna buried her face in Lilah's shoulder, crying in relief. After nearly a month of unconsciousness, John was back.

Brianna was dragged into the back of the jumper by Lilah, where Bri then wrapped her arms around her taller lover, and broke down completely.

"I…I, c-can't b-be-believe he's finally b-back." She sobbed.

Lilah just held her, and allowed her to cry herself to sleep.

_OUTSIDE_

Lilah tossed a small tent and a sleeping bag at John and Rodney, still holding each other by the fire.

John's head snapped around and he glared at the brunette standing by the 'jumper. She raised an eyebrow to meet his offended glance before heading back inside.

"Wait, Lil, Why do we have to get the tent?" Rodney asked, pulling himself together and moving away from John slightly, ignoring the frown the colonel shot in his direction.

"Because as soon as Bri wakes up, she and I are going to be spending the entire night making modifications to the puddle jumper. We figured you and John might want some time alone." She winked, and then disappeared into the craft. The ramp closed, leaving the two men alone with the flickering light of the fire.


	15. 4 Days into the Flight Home

_4 DAYS INTO THE FLIGHT BACK TO ATLANTIS_

"How bloody far did you take us woman?!" John snapped in good-humored exasperation.

"I think I liked this better when he was asleep." Lilah commented to Bri as the redhead slapped her brother on the arm.

"Hey!" John yelped from the passenger seat. "Answer the question and stop whispering to each other!"

"Not far but we had to detour around a gas cloud and a couple of black holes. About a week and a half flying time without the modifications, maybe only another day and a half with them Johnny-Boy." Brianna grinned after her comment and watched out of the corner of her eye as John turned an interesting shade of red.

"Hey!" He yelped again, "Nicknames are cheating!"

"I wasn't aware we were even 'playing' anything mudball."

"Mudball?" Rodney asked, lifting his eyebrows at Bri.

"Ask me again later and I'll tell you. It's a long story, a good one, but long." Bri answered.

"Don't you dare…" John glared at his sister.

Brianna simply ignored him and hummed blithely to herself, feigning oblivion to the seriously annoyed man sitting next to her.

"The rest of this trip is going to be interesting." Lilah murmured to Rodney.

"How do you deal with this" Rodney motioned to the bickering siblings sitting in front of them "so often?"

"Ignore it," Lilah advised, then sighing, took out a chess board and motioned to the back of the 'jumper. "Game?"

"Might as well. They could be at this for hours."

"Days" Lilah assured him blithely.


	16. A Day and a Half Later

_A DAY AND A HALF LATER_

"Elizabeth, we've picked up a small ship, puddle jumper size, that we were tracking on long range sensors. It just entered Atlantis' orbit."

"Wraith?" She asked.

"No ma'am. It registers as ancient, but there has been no attempt to identify." The technician answered.

"Broadcast on all frequencies please." Elizabeth responded, hoping that this was finally Bri and Lilah returning with Rodney. Radek had been rather frantic at the sudden disappearance of his superior, and Lorne was not overly happy about John's disappearance either. "This is Elizabeth Weir of Atlantis. Please identify yourself before we take defensive action."

"Oh come on now, that isn't really necessary Elizabeth." John's voice was heard over the communications system.

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good to hear your voice John."

"Like wise Elizabeth."

"Hey, sorry about that whole 'denuding Atlantis of most of the senior staff' thing, I kind of needed all of them to fix this." Brianna sounded cheerful, even though she knew she was going to be in trouble because of this little stunt.

"After you land I'll need to see you in my office to discuss that."

"Hey, for the record, not only did you give me permission to take whatever supplies and personnel I needed to get John back to the land of the living, We're coming back with a completely re-vamped jumper, a trip that took seven days out only took us 5 and a half coming back, and I wasn't pushing it to anywhere near top speed! Oh and I can find us a ZPM later too if that helps."

Elizabeth then heard some scuffling and what was apparently a fierce argument between Brianna and Rodney about the ZPM, mostly seeming to consist of 'Why didn't you tell me?' and 'I thought I did!' with John's interspersed comments of 'Will two cut it out! You're as bad as Bri and I!'

Eventually Lilah was heard saying 'Give me that', then Elizabeth heard "Sorry about that Elizabeth, we'll land this thing and come to your office for a debriefing. Jumper one out."

Elizabeth looked at poor Chuck, who was trying his hardest not to start laughing hysterically. With a small half smile she said, "Let them in, then make sure Rodney doesn't disappear before I get a chance to talk to that group.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Authors note: It was pointed out that the female OC's are Mary Sues. Yeah, I heard you. Deal with it. It's not my problem that you don't like it, as I stated these stories are written for my enjoyment, if you choose to read and enjoy them as well, good. If you don't, please don't point out issues that you have with my writing. You are under no obligation to read these, so if you don't like it, stop reading.


	17. Back on Atlantis

_BACK ON ATLANTIS, HEADING TO DR. WEIR'S OFFICE_

"So where is this ZPM you can supposedly find for us." Rodney asked.

"How should I know," Bri responded.

"Well dear the whole 'I can find us a ZPM now' thing would seem to indicate that you knew where one was." John muttered.

"I said I could find one, not that I knew where it was. I'm having Atlantis run a scan with the long-range sensors. Every time we open the gate from now on she'll scan and see if there's a ZPM there. I don't have a clue where one might be, but Atlantis will look for us." Brianna replied, rather annoyed.

"She's got you there," Lilah murmured.

"Whatever, whatever, that doesn't mean I have to like it." Rodney muttered.

Brianna turned in the door of the gate room and faced Rodney.

"You know you don't have to depend on people to tell you everything now, you have the link to the city just like the rest of us," she gestured to the little group of four huddled together, "you have to get used to asking her for things. She may seem too aloof and powerful, and … graceful, to ask for little, inconsequential things like that, but you need to get used to it. So next time, ask her when you need something, like a ZPM, and she'll not only do her best to get it to you, she'll help keep it working, and tell you how to make more if you need it. She will not however, under any circumstances, tell you ANYTHING about how to ascend. She was left alone, and won't tell us how to do it again." Brianna spoke softly, so quietly that the marines standing guard around the gate room could not hear a word she had just said.

"Guys?" Elizabeth called from the balcony, "Are you coming?"

"Yes, sorry!" Lilah called up, then grabbed Brianna by the arm and dragged her up the stairs.


	18. After a Long and Invasive Medical Exam

_AFTER A LONG AND INVASIVE MEDICAL EXAM AND AN ALMOST AS PAINFUL DEBRIEFING_

"They're all cleared for active duty, in fact they're all much better for the long rest they had." Carson told Elizabeth after he had examined all four of the returned team.

"Better?" Elizabeth asked.

"Aye, they've all had near a month of solid rest. I'd let them get back to work tomorrow if you're not upset with any of them." Carson shrugged. "But that's not really my call. Have a good day Elizabeth." Carson turned and left the office.

Elizabeth sighed and tapped her radio. "Control room, this is Weir, please send the latest MALP readings to Rodney, and let John's team know that they will be back to work as soon as we have a place for them to go."

"Of course Doctor."

Elizabeth sighed. This was going to make life very interesting for the next few weeks, but then again, when wasn't life interesting here on Atlantis.

* * *

Authors Note: Here is the end of Part 1. Part 2 will follow beginning with Chapter 19.


	19. PART 2 Three days later

Authors Note: As it is summer, this story will probably have few updates in the near future, please bear with me, it will pick up again once school re-starts

* * *

_THE BRIEFING ROOM, THREE DAYS AFTER THE RETURN_

"The M.A.L.P. transmission from ML2-487 showed a Wraith culling in progress. There's nothing we can do now to stop it, it was almost over. Our best bet is to wait until the hive ship leaves, then go in and see what's causing those energy readings; and of course try to help as many of the people left there as we can." Rodney concluded, turning away from the screen at the front of the conference room. It was only three days after Rodney, Lilah and Brianna had made their triumphant return to Atlantis, complete with a conscious John Sheppard in tow. Rodney knew he was acting rather differently since he had linked with the city, and he knew he had slipped again when he saw Elizabeth's expression. He mentally reviewed what he had just said, then wincing inside added, "Well you wouldn't let us go if we didn't at least try to help people, so I figured I'd save you the trouble and add that to the proposal now."

Elizabeth looked taken aback, then said, "Well, I'm not convinced that this is anything worth checking out. We can't spare the manpower to go help yet another world; all, and I mean ALL the other teams are off world, you are the only ones left in Atlantis."

"But this could be very important!" Rodney complained.

"I realize that, and while we are risking leaving something there that could help us defeat the Wraith, there is always that possibility when we pass up a world. And that is what we are doing now." Elizabeth said calmly over Rodney's protestations. "Besides which we do NOT have anyone to spare to send right…"

"I'm going." Interrupted a voice from the doorway.

Everyone in the room turned and saw Bri standing in the door.

"And I'm going with her." Rodney added, not losing sight of his goal even with the shock of Elizabeth being so firmly contradicted.

"No you're not." Elizabeth responded. "You won't be leaving, you won't be allowed to dial gate."

Brianna simply closed her eyes, and then Elizabeth's comm link activated.

"Doctor Weir, the gate is activating from this side, but none of the puddle jumpers are active and I didn't do anything!"

"It's alright technician, we were trying something, it's good to know that it worked, I have it handled." She turned off her radio, then turned to the red head in the door. "Brianna, what are you trying to prove here?"

The tenseness seemed to flow out of the girl as she opened her eyes. "That we are going." She said softly. "This is important, more important than you know, but I can't tell you why, and you have to know that you can't stop us."

"I'm going with them." John said.

"What, even you're deserting me now?" Elizabeth asked, rather hysterical.

"Me too." Said Lilah softly.

"And you? What, are we all going to have to fend for ourselves completely now?"

"Elizabeth, you have to understand. This mission is important. This is what can save Earth; this is our one shot at finding the resources we need to accomplish our goals. I would never abandon you, but we aren't allowed to tell you where we're going. Atlantis told us to keep it a secret, and we can't tell anyone. I need to go, we need to protect the scientists, they are the only way we can ever beat the Wraith. You know that better than anyone. We have to go Elizabeth, we'll explain everything after we're done." John placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, then the team turned and headed out of the room.

As they left they heard Elizabeth call out "Take Ronon with you."

John turned back and said softly "We will, let Teyla know we'll see her when she gets back from her visit with her people."

"I will." Elizabeth responded gently, then sighed deeply as John turned away again.

It had hurt her more than she had expected when John had been injured. That Brianna had gone to Rodney to get John back had torn another rent in her heart. When John had sided with Rodney against her today she realized she was in love with him. Now he left without a second glance, oblivious to the pain he caused her. She put her head in her hands, resting her elbows on the desk, unaware that Brianna watched from just outside the room.


	20. The Gear Room

_THE GEAR ROOM_

"She's in love with him." Bri whispered softly to Lilah as the team geared up.

"Does she know…" Lilah trailed off, glancing at John and Rodney, standing almost nose-to-nose across the room.

"No, and it's going to be ugly when she finds out." Bri murmured. "Keep an eye on it, we can't have them fall apart, too much depends on them right now." Lilah just nodded in response.

John turned away from Rodney and asked "So Bri, want to tell me how you got the gate to dial, and what's so important about this planet that you have to go?"

Brianna sighed. "One, I asked nicely, and two it's the last known location of the Sister City."

"The Sister City?" Rodney asked, pausing with his vest partially zipped so he could look at Bri.

Brianna sighed. Leaning forward so her hands were resting on the table in front of her, she began to explain.

"The oldest legends of Atlantis known on Earth say that when she was built, she was constructed in two distinct halves. Historians have always assumed, as we assumed when we arrived here, that this refers to a physical divide in the city itself, a North and South if you will, of the city we have been living in. It turns out that in actuality if refers to two physically identical cities, which fit together like puzzle pieces; the city of wisdom, Atlantis, and the city of discovery, the sister city, Alleria.

"The city of discovery was sent off, long before the Ancients began their war with the Wraith. It was a formidable weapon, it had to be in order to survive for centuries in a harsh galaxy, and while the Ancients never intended to loose Atlantis, they planned for the worst when they built Alleria. She was equipped with the very best of Ancient technology; she had the capability to destroy five hive ships simultaneously. She was never tested in battle, however. The Ancients were afraid of what would happen should the Wraith get their hands on her, so she never went into battle. They also knew they could never destroy it, it was too important, held too many secrets, and how could they destroy the intelligence they had created, so they hid it.

"They abandoned her, sending a series of commands, shutting down the city entirely except for a cloak. Atlantis sent one last message, in the form of a hologram, through the gate to the people of that planet before she locked the address out of her computer until now. The message read 'When the ones who can reveal it come flying through the gate, you must do all that is in your power to help them keep the city safe. When they arrive, you must reunite the hidden city with it's long lost sister.' Also, the reason there's not information about building ZPMs in the Atlantis database, well, they were built on Alleria, the process was apparently very dangerous, and involved almost flying into a sun in order to charge them. She wasn't able to be very specific."

Brianna sighed again, and looked up from the table at her audience. "So that's where we're going. We're going to find her and bring her home. The city of discovery, Alleria."

"Wow," John said after a pause. "It sounds too good to be true."

"There is one catch though," Lilah said, leaning back against the table in front of Bri, crossing her arms over her chest and her legs at the ankles.

"Knew it!" Rodney said softly to John.

"The second city is very…particular, about who she'll allow to fly her, unless, like Atlantis she got lonely over the years." Lilah said with a glare at Rodney.

"You said 'like Atlantis'" Rodney said slowly. "What do you mean?"

Lilah looked at them seriously. "Both cities are sentient, you know that now, but what you don't know is that they were designed to bond to one or two people, it was a secondary safety measure that was built into their original programming, but it was also a method to ensure that they never got lonely. Atlantis has favored John from the beginning, and had Brianna and I never arrived she would likely have chosen to bond with him once the joy of having company again had worn off. However now that Brianna and I are here, she has chosen to leave John for her sister."

Brianna looked seriously at her brother. "You and Rodney both need to be ready for this. Alleria will be lonely, and possibly slightly annoyed at being left alone, but you will have an advantage. She won't be angry at you, and you will be 'adopted' as a pair."

"How do we know that she'll accept me? You said she was picky, so how do we know?" John looked rather terrified at the thought of being bound to a city.

"Atlantis assures us that her sister will bond with you. Not only does she know Alleria better than anyone, but she still has a rudimentary connection to her sister." Lilah said. "You can liken it to rudimentary telepathy in humans. They can communicate, but nothing as complicated as directions or instructions. That's why we need to go find her. Until Alleria's control of her systems is restored, that is all that we will have. Atlantis gave us the crystal that will allow Alleria to reconnect, and when we put that into place, John you and Rodney will need to be in the chair room, ready to raise the shield and get us to safety before the Wraith realize what we found."

"Wait, we have the crystal?" Rodney sounded surprised. "I thought something like that would have been lost."

Brianna pulled a long, deep blue crystal from an inside pocket of her vest. "This is the crucial piece. It connects the conscious part of the artificial intelligence to the computers that run the city. Rather like the spinal cord of the human body. Atlantis has one too."


	21. Enlisting Help

_ENLISTING HELP_

"So you plug that in to the second city and then what?" Asked a voice from the doorway "Run and hide?"

Rodney jumped "Carson! How long have you been standing there?"

"Since I explained about the second city; So Carson, Radek, are you guys up for helping us from here?" Bri asked, grinning as Radek's head appeared from around the corner.

"Must I? I doubt I will be of much assistance; you are much better off having Carson help you. After all, it appears you need gene carriers, of which I am not one." Radek then jumped as a blue-green light washed over him for a few seconds, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "What was that? What just happened?" He asked.

'I like this one, so I made him as you are. Welcome Doctor Zelenka. I am Atlantis.'


	22. The Last Member

_THE LAST MEMBER_

"What was that?" Radek asked, jumping as the voice echoed in all their minds.

Carson smiled sadly as Bri answered, "You heard her Radek, why don't you say hello."

"Say hello…"

'Hello Doctor. I hope you don't mind, but I am feeling rather uncomfortable, there appears to be a problem with one of my sensor arrays, would you mind terribly if I told you how to fix it?' Atlantis faded from the minds of the other five people in the room, speaking only to Radek as the others went back to their preparations.

Carson looked on with sad eyes as Radek lost himself in the soft, sweet voice of the city.

"Don't worry Carson, Atlantis has no interest in stealing your lover away," Bri ignored the startled looks from everyone in the room as she continued, "She's just making sure he knows how to patch up her dings, and I think she's telling him how to fix some of the issues he found when we were gone."

"I…he's…we're not…" Carson stammered, glancing with trepidation towards John and Rodney.

"Oh don't worry about it, you really think we'd have a problem with you and Radek? After all that would be rather hypocritical considering that John and I are now together." Rodney snapped as he pushed past the two doctors in the doorway and headed for the gate room.

Brianna looked at Carson. "I hate to sound callous here, but these people are our best chance of finding what we need to defeat the Wraith. If you're up for it, we'd like you to coordinate things from here. Mostly that means keeping an eye out with the sensors and making sure Major Lorne gets back all right. Atlantis says she has a job in mind for him."

"All right, I'll get Radek going on fixing that stuff, then I'll see what I can do about getting Lorne back soon. Do you know what Atlantis has in mind for him?"

"Something about a battleship. Atlantis is being annoyingly vague. She keeps muttering about this 'being a good match', whatever that means." Brianna shrugged as she finished gearing up.

John sighed. "The Wraith are massing for a final attack. They're gathering in a remote quadrant of space, apparently to plan or something, but a few hive ships are looking for The Sister City. If they find her, we're all screwed."

"Why doesn't Doctor Weir know about any of this?" Carson asked.

Brianna sighed deeply. "Atlantis doesn't like her, not really. Or, more to the point, she doesn't trust her. She can't or won't give me a good reason why, and she won't let us tell her. Every time we try, well…things have a disturbing tendency to break, hurt someone in the process, and show anomalous readings on the life-signs scans. We tried to tell Weir a couple of times, until we figured out what Atlantis was doing; now we don't bother because she just runs us around on wild goose chases, it's better to stay put, keep our mouths shut and get stuff done. Atlantis will tell her when she's ready."

Carson thought for a moment. "She who?" He asked.

"Hmmm?" Bri responded, glancing up at him.

"You said 'when she's ready', is that Atlantis or Doctor Weir?"

"Ah, now THAT my friend," Bri said, placing a hand on the doctor's shoulder, "Is the sixty-four thousand dollar question."

The team gathered in the gate room, facing the giant ring as Chuck began to dial out.

"I wonder why Lorne's so late." John suddenly said, "I thought he was supposed to be back by now.

"He was." Bri murmured softly, as the gate opened from the other side.

"Off-world activation." The gate tech announced over the radios.

"It's Lorne" Lilah said softly, her words confirmed a moment later by Chuck.

As the shield dropped and every person in the Gate room prepared for the possibility of incoming fire, Rodney asked "Just a thought, but if the message said 'come flying through the ring', shouldn't we take a puddlejumper?"

As if in response the ceiling began to iris open and a puddlejumper began to descend, unpiloted, through towards the team.

Looking up Brianna remarked, "It appears Atlantis agrees with you Rodney." Glancing down she added "And since this is Lorne, we might as well grab him and save Carson the trouble of explaining everything."

"Carson, how quickly can you clear Lorne to come with us?" John called up to the doctor standing in the control room.

"It depends on why they're late." The Scot answered.

Brianna suddenly jumped, then glared at a random spot half-way up one of the walls. "You little…" she trailed off. "You could have at least told us!"

"I take it Atlantis was responsible?" The doctor shrugged, "Very quickly in that case, as long as Atlantis assists."

"She says she wanted to make sure we didn't leave without him." Lilah sighed and leaned over to stroke the wall nearest her. "I know you meant well," she said softly, "just let us know the next time you're going to do something like that so we don't worry, okay?"

The lights dimmed, then brightened in assent as Elizabeth, who had been standing next to the doctor for the exchange, shook her head "Wait!" She exclaimed loudly, "are you saying the _city_ made Major Lorne late?" She sounded shocked and annoyed as she shook her head, "How is that even _possible_?"

Doctor Weir was rapidly loosing whatever tenuous control she had retained over the situation, she could feel it, and she had no idea how to stop it.


	23. Gathering Lorne

_GATHERING LORNE_

John and Brianna suddenly pulled Ronon and Rodney away from the front of the gate as Lorne and his team staggered through, apparently tired from the last mission.

Before Lorne could say anything about the 'jumper or the team waiting to leave John spoke. "How quickly can you have your gear restocked and be back in this room?" He asked the startled Major.

"Umm, a few minutes sir, but I still have to debrief and write the report and see Carson…"

"Major," John stared at him, "Did anything ground-breaking, earth-shattering, or otherwise essential to the defense of this planet and the defeat of the Wraith happen on this mission?"

"No…sir, but the gate malfunctioned on the other end and wouldn't let us dial out for several hours…" Lorne was cut off by Lilah's voice.

"We know about that, anything else?"

"No."

"Good. You're coming with us as soon as you have everything re-stocked and Carson clears you." John said, then shooed the Major towards the door.

"What?" Lorne seemed rather confused by the quickness with which all this was happening, and he was in no better shape when Carson escorted him back twenty minutes later.

"He's all yours John." The medical officer said cheerfully, ushering the major back out to where the 'jumper waited patiently.

"Sorry Lorne," Lilah said, not sounding sorry at all, "We'll explain everything on the way."

"Okay…Dr. Weir?" Lorne called up, obviously hoping for a reprieve.

Brianna interrupted before Weir could say anything, "Doctor, I'm sorry, but we need him. Everything will be explained tonight."

"It will?" Lilah whispered to her softly.

"Atlantis wants to do it." Bri whispered back.

"Oh wow, but she doesn't have the gene…" She trailed off "wow."

"Yeah." Bri answered, then turned and chivvied the major onto the 'jumper after John, Ronon and Rodney.

Lilah looked up at the doctors standing on the balcony, then mouthed "sorry" at Carson before entering the 'jumper and closing the hatch behind her. The gate opened behind it's shield, dialed from within the 'jumper, then the team plus a few vanished into the watery opening to another world.


	24. Thoughts

_THOUGHTS_

In many ways the city empathized with Doctor Weir. Atlantis had spent many years alone with only the tenuous thoughts of her distant sister as faint company. Though the doctor had not spent as many years alone in this command as the city had been alone, the comparison was apt. Atlantis knew the feeling of having no control, of being at the whims of others, and it was not overly pleasant.

At the same time, Atlantis felt she had no choice. She wanted her sister back with her, and now there were people who could not only deliver her, but who could and would defend them both until their last breaths to keep them together.

At the end of the Ancients' battle with the Wraith, even her guardian, protector, and bonded friend had had little time for her. Without communication, she had no eyes, no ears, and no voice. By the time the Ancients left to return to Earth, her old home, her conscious mind had all but been forgotten. They had promised to return, but when her children had not returned after ten years, she had known that no one was going to come back. She had been forgotten.

Had anyone thought to ask her, she would have chosen to be destroyed rather than sit waiting for a return that might not happen.

So yes, she understood what Elizabeth was feeling, if perhaps the humans emotions were on a smaller scale than her own. It was because of this that the ancient city decided to do something she rarely ever did for people who were not part of her intimate circle of protectors, friends, and doctors; in fact what she was about to do she had not done since nearly fifty years before the Wraith ever besieged the Ancients in this galaxy.

She was going to speak to one who did not normally open their ears to her. She was going to explain everything to Elizabeth Weir.


	25. That Night

THAT NIGHT

_THAT NIGHT_

That night Elizabeth dreamed.

Elizabeth slipped into sleep and found herself standing in an open field in front of a cabin she remembered clearly from her childhood.

"Pa?" she called, looking for the familiar figure of her grandfather seated on the front porch in a rocking chair. When she could not see him, she started towards the cabin.

"This place is wonderful, what is it?" came a soft voice from behind her.

Elizabeth turned and saw a young woman standing behind her. The girl, who looked about eighteen years old, had raven black hair, skin so pale it seemed to glow, and wore a long robe of what looked like undyed linen. As she walked her hands were held out at waist height beside her, brushing the tops of the tall grasses. As she got nearer, Elizabeth could see that she was barefoot.

"My grandfather's cabin, we used to come here when I was young. We would spend every summer here, until my father got too sick, then we weren't allowed to come. Who are you?" Elizabeth asked, turning from her contemplation of the cabin so she could look at the girl. "What are we doing here?"

The girl had begun to spin in circles as Elizabeth reminisced. She stopped to look at the older woman. "We are here because this is the place your sleeping mind chose to take us. As to who I am, I am Atlantis."


	26. Dreaming

_DREAMING_

Elizabeth turned and sat down hard on the porch of the cabin. "You…wait…how can you be a city?" She looked at the childish girl spinning in circles in the field, her arms thrown out to the sides and her head tilted back as he soaked in the sun.

"Uh…" Elizabeth paused, unsure how to address a millennia old city that acted so much like a child. "Atlantis?"

The girl turned, "You may call me Lantea, if you wish to give me name; it is what they call me when they speak to me, and I believe I like it." She turned away and looked off across the dream field. "I never had a name before." She added irreverently.

Elizabeth paused, shaking her head in astonishment. How on earth could such a wondrous city be so child like? How could a city even be a person in the first place? 'Right, not on earth anymore, that's how.'

"Lantea, how…"

"How can I be me? How can I be speaking with you? Why would I be speaking with you? How, what, why everything?" The city interrupted, suddenly losing her childish demeanor to come and stand beside Elizabeth where she sat on the edge of the porch.

"I am here, now in this time and place Elizabeth Weir of planet earth, because you need to understand why certain events have transpired the way that they have. It is time for me to tell you about myself, my chosen ones, and my sister, Alleria."

* * *

Author's Note, sorry about the delay, I'm back at school now, so there should be more updates coming.


	27. Waking

_~WAKING UP~_

Elizabeth opened her eyes and sat up with a start. 'That has got to be one of the weirdest dreams I have had since coming here' she thought.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as the now familiar voice in her head chuckled.

--Do you believe me yet?-- the city asked, the humor evident in her voice.

"I…" Elizabeth paused, unsure of how to continue.

Lantea laughed again --Maybe. You aren't sure yet, but you are beginning to believe. I can't talk to you easily when you are awake, so go talk to Carson if you have any questions.' The city then turned her attention elsewhere, it was a palpable sensation, and very odd to Elizabeth.

"Thank you for showing me." Elizabeth said, and got a flicker of lights in acknowledgement. She sighed and leaned back in her bed, trying to process everything that Atlantis had just told her.

It sounded almost too good to be true, a second city capable of defending itself and everyone else against the Wraith? It was hard to tell; perhaps it was too good to be true, they wouldn't know until John got back.

'I wonder why they grabbed Lorne as soon as he came back?' she wondered. Steadying her self for what she was about to attempt to do, she called "Atlantis?"

When she got no answer she sighed, apparently she was going to have to track down Carson if she wanted any answers.

Elizabeth grumbled as she made her way to the control room. Her CMO had vanished. She had looked in the infirmary, the mess, his room, and he wasn't anywhere. She sighed, she'd decided to just shoot him an e-mail and track him down later.

She sat down at her desk sharply and closed her eyes, resting her face in her hands. She jerked back upright when she heard the voice from beside the doorway.

"You know you do have a radio lass, you could have paged me. Atlantis says you have questions." Carson said, shifting his weight in his chair.

"Carson!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Oh, since 'Lantea woke me up at five o'clock this morning to let me know that she told you everything and that she sent all questions to me." Carson shrugged. "Might have been a bit simpler had she helped me find you though, I'll have to talk to her about that. So, what did you want to ask?" Carson settled back in his chair, putting his feet up on the table in front of him.

"How long have you known, about the consciousness I mean."

"A few days after Bri arrived she cornered me in my office, demanding to know why she hadn't been warned, when I asked what about she sat me down and said that she had something to tell me. Next thing I know I'm waking up lying on the floor, with Bri and 'Lantea laughing at me."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because 'Lantea asked us not to. She was afraid of what we would do to her, if we found out. It wasn't until Bri arrived and 'Lantea began bonding to her that she could see into our minds." Carson caught the look on Elizabeth's face. "She's not really a mind reader, it's more of listening to our surface thoughts."

"Who else knows?" Elizabeth asked after a moment to digest that tidbit of information, resting her elbows on her desk.

"Right now? Bri, Lilah, John, Rodney, Radek, you, and myself. Lorne gets to find out tonight." Carson paused to chuckle, "She's rather looking forward to it actually. She's trying to decide whether it would be funnier for Bri to tell him or for her to just surprise him."

"She seems rather…childish." Elizabeth said, "Is that the word I'm looking for?"

"Probably, she more along the lines of a come patient rediscovering the joys of the world around her after being asleep for a long time, but childish is rather appropriate." Carson grinned again, "She says 'Hey!' apparently she took offense at that."

"What I wouldn't give to hear her like you guys do." Elizabeth said wistfully.

"You should be glad you can't. She never shuts up." Carson said wryly, then yelped as the Atlantis turned the lights.

"I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean it like that!" Elizabeth heard Carson say. "Come on 'Lantea! You know me! I didn't mean it!" The lights came back on reluctantly and Elizabeth saw Carson standing by the wall stroking it gently as he looked imploringly at the ceiling.

"Carson?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes?" he responded, not stopping his gentle stroking or moving his gaze.

"Um, what are you doing?" Elizabeth asked, still confused.

"Apologizing." He answered.

"Oh" she said softly, "Is she…alright?"

"Yes, just sometimes the teasing hits a little close to home, but she'll be okay." Carson said.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry for the delay in getting this up, I promise I'll get the next several chapters typed up. What with NaNoWriMo and school I got a bit distracted.


	28. ON ML2487

_~ON ML2-487~_

Lorne flew the 'jumper through the gate, then glanced back at the team behind him.

"You know guys, not that it's really all that big of a deal, but where are we going and what's going on?"

Bri came to the front of the 'jumper, and pulled up a display showing the territory around them on the HUD. Pointing at a clearing half a mile from the gate and any traces of the settlement she said, "Land there for a minute, we need to tell you what's going on."

Lorne landed the 'jumper, then spun around so he was facing everyone else. "Want to tell me what's going on here guys?" He asked curiously.

"Ronon, why don't you check out the area, we have something that we need to discuss with the major; Rodney, Lilah, see if you can't locate that city or the native population. Bri and I have got this." John said, opening the rear hatch to let Ronon out.

"Actually John, you can go with Ronon if you'd like, 'Lantea wants to do this herself." Bri said, her eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

"'Lantea?" Lorne asked.

Bri grinned at him, "Relax Even, she just wants to say hello."

Evan then heard a chuckle, "Not funny guys, what's going on?" He then froze as a thread of brilliant gold amusement twined through his mind.

"What the…" he muttered, "_Atlantis?!_" He asked incredulously. A shower of multicolored lights danced through is mind. Information came with it, stories, legends, facts, so much that he couldn't contain it all.

Evan didn't realize that he was whimpering until he heard the voice in front of him.

"Is he okay?" it sounded like Rodney, but Doctor McKay never asked how anyone was, so it couldn't be him could it?

Evan cracked open his eyes. It _was_ Doctor McKay, peering down at him worriedly from beside Brianna.

"You okay Ev?" the red-head asked.

Gasping, Evan replied "Yeah, What was that?"

"That was Atlantis" Bri said with a grin.

"Atlantis?" Evan repeated, looking momentarily at a loss. He paused and thought back over the last few minutes.

"Wow, so…I guess we're trying to find this sister city then?" He asked.

Bri nodded. "Tomorrow, we'll camp here, tell Ronon, and then head out in the morning."

"Okay," Evan began to get up, then discovered that he had ended up lying on the floor." He stretched his hand up to the two people leaning over him. "Help me up?" He requested, and was surprised when Rodney reached down in response.

After a split second hesitation from shock, Lorne took Rodney's hand and the help up.

"I saw that," Rodney said, "Don't get used to it."

"I won't" Evan said with a grin.


	29. Later Around the Fire

_~LATER AROUND THE FIRE~_

Ronon sat down and pulled out one of his many knives, cleaning his fingernails with the tip.

"So, what are we doing all the way out here?" Ronon suddenly asked.

Lorne looked at the others, wondering who was going to say something.

Bri stared into the fire as she said softly "Have you heard of the sister city?"

"Thought that was a myth." Ronon said stoically.

"Nope," Lilah said, gazing contemplatively down into her mug of tea. "Atlantis says otherwise."

"Huh, guess we'll get to find out." Ronon mused, putting his knife away with a flurry of movement.

"That we will," Rodney murmured softly. "That we will."


	30. The Next Morning

_~THE NEXT MORNING~_

Lorne awoke to a cascade of colors and light rippling through his mind. He groaned, "What is _that_?"

From outside the tent a voice answered, "It's Atlantis saying good morning." Bri sounded amused.

"Well I wish she wouldn't, it's giving me a headache."

"You know you could ask her to tone it down a little." Lilah answered from the other side of the tent.

Lorne crawled out into the sun and glared at the two insufferably cheerful women outside.

"Are you two _always_ this awake this early?" he grumbled, yawning hugely.

"Yes they are, but they make damn good coffee." Lorne turned toward the mumble and saw Rodney sitting by the fire next to Ronon and John, all three of them holding steaming mugs.

Lorne groaned as the smell reached him on a slight breeze that drifted through the campsite. "Oh god, real coffee." He flopped down on the ground by the fire and took the cup of coffee offered to him.

He moaned as he took a sip of the steaming liquid. His eyes slipped shut and he felt himself go limp with delight. His eyes opened as he heard a throaty chuckle from beside him. He blushed when he opened his eyes and saw John gazing at him amusedly.

"What?" Lorne asked beet red.

"I think we need to give you real coffee in the middle of the mess hall if it does this to you. We'd finally find out how many people are actually attracted to you and how much of that is just rumors." John said, cocking his head to the side and grinning

"A…a…attractive?" Lorne stammered, shocked.

Atlantis chuckled in his head, her amusement at his bewilderment plain.

Brianna came over and rested her hands on Lorne's shoulders.

"Take it easy there. He really doesn't know." Bri seemed gleeful. John and Rodney grinned right along with the two girls.

The two men looked at each other over Ronon's head, ignoring Lorne's confusion. "She's right, he really has no idea how many women…"

"…And men." Interrupted Rodney.

"And men" agreed John "Find him devastatingly attractive."

"Really?" asked Lorne, still shocked.

"Really." Bri confirmed, her hands still on his shoulders.

"But…I'm…I'm not…" Lorne stammered again, still a brilliant shade of red.

"Not what?" Lilah asked.

"Not…" Lorne blushed brighter than ever, "not…"

"Beautiful, brilliant, sexy, hot?" Bri grinned upside down at Lorne as he skipped over the rest of the red spectrum and headed right into the scarlet.

"I'm not!" Lorne insisted.

Brianna sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around the embarrassed and distraught Air Force officer.

"Oh Evan, there are more people who like you than you know."

"Me for one." Ronon spoke up for the first time this morning.

"You…_really?_" Lorne suddenly looked thoughtful. "Wow, I never realized."

"Okay, self esteem issues tackled for now? Good. Shall we get on with our mission then?" Brianna clapped her hands together as she rose to her feet.

Four Air Force officers, one physicist, and one Satedaen packed all their gear back into the puddlejumper and headed off to find the settlement.


	31. Back on Atlantis, Again

_~BACK ON ATLANTIS~_

"So Carson…" Elizabeth began as she joined Carson at his table in the mess.

"Uh-oh." Carson muttered.

"Uh-oh what? I'm not that bad am I?" Elizabeth grinned at Carson then continued, "I wanted to ask…"

"She wants to know about Lorne's part in all of this." Radek's voice spoke up from behind her.

Elizabeth jumped "how do you…" she trailed off.

Radek pushed his glasses up his nose with a finger. "You're worrying is give Atlantis the equivalent of an…how do you say…upset stomach." Radek shrugged as he sat down. "Nothing difficult to fix."

"Really, I wasn't aware that she was that sensitive, why didn't we notice this before?" Elizabeth leaned her elbows on the table, finding herself more interested in Radek's answer than she would have expected.

Radek pushed his glasses up his nose again with a single finger. "It is not so much that she is sensitive, more that with Bri and Lilah away she is latching onto anyone she has a connection to, in other words you, me and Carson." Radek gestured to his lover, getting a tender look in exchange. "She's getting lonely with her bonded partners away from her. She can still reach them, she's just going to be extra sensitive until they return."

"What does this mean for us?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"Mostly that we need to be very conscious about how much of our feelings we are projecting to her." Carson said, taking another bite of applesauce.

Radek frowned at the device in his hand, then glanced up at the ceiling as the air vents suddenly turned on again, changing the direction of the airflow in the room. He tossed the device on the table and it stopped glowing as soon as it left his hand.

"Okay" Elizabeth stood to leave, then turned back to Radek and Carson, "Radek, I thought the gene therapy didn't work on you?"

Radek smiled. "It didn't."


	32. At the Settlement

_~AT THE SETTLEMENT~_

"Clamp; has Ronon succeeded in locating those missing kids and that herd of livestock yet? Suture." Bri had her hands wrist deep in the intestines of a twelve-year-old girl.

Lorne and John were searching for more survivors in the wreckage of what was left of the settlement. Lilah was aloft in the jumper, searching for any life signs in the area that didn't belong. Rodney knelt next to Bri, handing her what she asked for.

Rodney handed her a suture from the portable med kit, then tapped his radio with his wrist to avoid desterilizing his hands. "Any luck yet Ronon?"

"No…wait, I found them. They sheltered in a cave about a mile from the village."

"Stay with them Ronon," Bri called loud enough for Rodney's radio to pick up. "Lilah will come and pick you all up."

"Got it, most of the cattle stampeded anyway, so I think we can let that herd go. I'll be here." Ronon then disappeared from the radio.

On the other side of the village John paused in his digging through the remnants of houses and looked over at the knots of survivors doing what they could to help the team. "How's it going Bri?" He asked. Almost a minute passed before he got a response.

"I've done as much for her as I can here," John heard Bri removing the latex gloves as she spoke. "Anything else requires equipment that I don't have. We have to find that city quick John, it'll have the equipment necessary for us to help them."

"Okay," John said. "I'll ask the people we've found and see if anyone knows anything."

"Thanks John." Bri said wearily.

Suddenly Lilah's voice broke into the radio chatter. "I just flew over the gate, it's active and a troop of Genii are coming through and guarding the gate."

"Shit. Thanks Lil." Bri sighed and began packing all her equipment away quickly and efficiently. "John, you heard?"

"Yeah, get that girl back here as soon as you can and we'll see what we can do to protect these people."

"Got it." Bri sighed, "Rodney, help me carry her."


	33. In the Village Center

_~IN THE VILLAGE CENTER~_

"All right people, let's get the wounded into this house, then we'll see what the Genii want." John directed the remaining villagers. He turned and saw Bri coming up the trail to the village, a stretcher carried between her and Rodney, the twelve-year-old girl unconscious on it.

"Torina!" One of the village women called, running toward the girl. Rodney and Bri set the stretcher down on the ground.

As the woman dropped to her knees beside the girl, who was probably her daughter, Bri crouched down beside her. "She'll be okay, I patched her up. Just keep her safe, and trust the others who came with me." Brianna then turned to John.

"John, I need you to take the crystal and find that city. I'll stay here and do my best to protect the people, but you need to take everyone else and find Alleria."

"Alleria, I have not heard that name in many, many years." The woman kneeling beside her daughter said softly.

"You know the name?" Lilah asked, appearing out of the cloaked jumper beside Ronon.

"Of course I've heard the name, not one of us hasn't, what do you want with her?" The woman asked, standing up and crossing her arms suspiciously across her chest.

Bri looked at the woman seriously as she walked back towards the stretcher. She pulled the crystal from her vest pocket and handed it to John. She saw the village woman's eyes widen as the crystal passed from hand to hand.

"We're here to bring her home." She said.


	34. Farther Away in the Woods

_~FARTHER AWAY IN THE WOODS~_

"All right men, we know the Lanteans are here, our operative told us that much before he died." The Genii leader paced un front of his men as he spoke.

"We want as many of them alive as possible, if it's Sheppard's team they'll al be in the area. Keep a close eye, they might attempt to trap us as we approach. Leave the villagers alive if you can, they'll make good subjects for the next stage of our experiments. Let's move out."


	35. In the Village

_~IN THE VILLAGE~_

"Bri, I am NOT going to leave you here!" John said fiercely.

"You have to." Bri simply looked him in the eye and stared him down. "John, this is too important. You have to get there. The Genii don't know that I'm part of your team," Brianna ripped the team patches off her uniform and shoved them into John's hands. "That will buy me some time. Go, find the sister City and bring her home. Then 'Lantea can help you find me if and when it's necessary."

"Trust, that I will be okay." Brianna then turned to the brunette beside her as she pulled her dog tags off as well.

She held them out as she said "Lil." The brunette swapped tags with her.

"What's going on?" Ronon asked.

"The Genii can't know that I'm related to John, it will simply give them another hold over me. This is the easiest way to keep them from finding out." "She glanced into the 'jumper which Lorne had been loading with people since it landed.

"That's all the wounded, your guide and the village elders. Go, I'll be okay."

Major Lorne turned to his old friend. "General Sheppard, good luck." He then turned and jogged into the 'jumper.

"Wait," Rodney called as he was dragged into the 'jumper. "You're a general?"

The redhead pushed them towards the 'jumper as they heard shouting in the distance. "Just go!" She exchanged a loving glance with Lilah as the hatch closed behind her.


	36. Elizabeth's Office

_~ELIZABETH'S OFFICE~_

Elizabeth sat with Carson and Radek in her office when the two men suddenly stiffened.

Elizabeth froze mid sentence, watching the two men closely.

Both suddenly relaxed, blinking several times in rapid succession with worried expressions on their faces.

"Brianna has been captured by the Genii. She says we have to leave her be and trust that she'll be all right." Carson said, dropping his head onto his fists.

"Atlantis agrees with her. She says we have more important things to focus on. Much as I hate to say it I agree with her." Radek added.

"WHAT?!" Elizabeth exclaimed in shock. "How can we just leave her in their hands?"

The lights suddenly dimmed and a smoky figure appeared in the corner of the room.

"What the…_Bri_?" Carson said standing and walking towards the figure.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Is this thing working?" The figure spun around in a circle. "Ah, there you are. So, what I came to say, you all need to abandon me for now. For one thing you won't be able to find me yet, and you'll have to wait until the others get back with Alleria. Trust that I will be all right. If something happens, you need to ignore it, there are bigger things happening right now than any of us can comprehend, and I am prepared to sacrifice myself if necessary, and you should be too. Concentrate on helping John. Now this is important.

"Lilah is still with John and the others, she can relay any messages. Tell them to trust her with the crystal, Atlantis will guide her. Also, listen for Atlantis to let you know where I am when it's time. Oh, and one more thing."

"Oh?" Carson said.

"Brace yourselves." She said, then as her last message transmitted itself all over the city, the hologram disappeared.

"What did she…" Carson began, then grabbed the doorway s the city vibrated, Carson and Radek clutched their temples and fell to their knees.

When the city stopped shaking Elizabeth looked up and saw Carson and Radek curled on the floor in fetal positions.

"Ow." Radek muttered.

"What just happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"Bri was waking up. That was Atlantis screaming as Bri blocked the connection so the city didn't get the backlash from anything the Genii do to her." Carson said, still rubbing his temples.


End file.
